


All That Jazz

by Sheanio



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alcohol, F/M, Guns, M/M, Minor Character Death, Organized Crime, Racism, Slurs, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2013-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-29 04:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheanio/pseuds/Sheanio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The aftermath of The Great War was still buzzing around America and prohibition is in full effect, the law is cracking down on illicit booze and the bars selling them to the weary worker. Eren was beginning to think that maybe the Bachelor's life would be better suited for him when he was picked up and placed into the lap of a rather short barber as entertainer for his speakeasy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All That Jazz

Soft conversations filled the small backroom, cramped but not so much that it was uncomfortable. During these times, places like this were necessary, people unable to face their demons on their own, or simply wanted to down the giggle water he so generously procured to the masses would come to drink his hooch. "Don't get caught out there, Zoe. Our good favor with the bull only goes so far as the exit." Subdued lights were on overhead, a few people glanced up but quickly returned to their beers. In such a place with such a person it would not be smart to dally on words exchanged, else a bum's rush awaited them.

The owner of this particular speakeasy was in good with the big shot police man in town, provided that there would be good alcohol and drinks to be had when the time was right. Due to this the speakeasy resting underneath the streets of Sharon was relatively safe, the commander would turn a blind eye to most goings on so long as bodies didn't show up, however he couldn't do anything if his men performed a raid. Not that it mattered much, the police depended on speakeasies just as much as the blue collars that roll in. They always give warnings to the places thought to have them so they could get rid of the evidence.

Bright eyes turned back to meet the voice's speaker with a grin. "Oh I can't forget that, Levi! You tell me that every time I leave!"

"Because knowing you, you would bring back the entire force on your tail." Levi poured another Martini; they had gotten popular in recent years as most gin-based drinks had in this age. Hanji waved good bye, laughing as he left through a thick wooden panel which lead up a flight of stairs into the back store room behind another panel.

Hanji waved to the doll watching the front, during the day the place was a little barber shop which happened stayed open to very late hours, who sat there doing homework. She knew what went on after hours but liked Levi enough not to say anything. Besides, the patrons would have to go through her to get into the speakeasy and this lady was someone not to mess with when push came to shove. "Petra, why are you all dressed up? Are you going to a joint later with some lad on your arm?" Petra turned her gaze from her book to Hanji as the other leaned onto the counter, chin resting in one hand.

"I was thinking about it, but I'm not sure, y'know?" Petra shrugged, the long necklaces hanging from her neck glinting in the light.

"I guess. Still though, all dolled up and no where to go? What a sad night!"

"Beat it you jerk!" Petra laughed and smacked Hanji's arm with a notepad, causing the other one to laugh in turn and left onto the streets.

It was still evening, everything was painted orange as the hazy sun set behind the roofs of the buildings. It was a bit early for the speakeasy to open, but Hanji had never been one to question Levi's judgement; He's been doing this for a long while in this age and had a very certain air about him that Hanji could respect. The shop itself wasn't in a bad place either. Yes it was in a seedier side of town; a few cracked windows, bars on a few more, some bums and winos on the street begging for change, but it wasn't so bad that extra protection was necessary. Hell occasionally they even got some street performers coming down this way to play a few songs for some coins.

It was quiet, strangely so, as though the police weren't out in force today. Erwin must be coming over tonight, he will have to remember to let Levi know as soon as he gets back. A newsie stood on a corner, shouting out headlines from the evening edition of the paper, mostly information pertaining to the raid that happened this afternoon at a speakeasy across the city. Hanji would have thought that that would have made Levi a bit more cautious in opening his place up tonight, but again. Levi's been doing this longer than that newsie's even been alive.

Hanji tossed a nickel to the kid on the street corner and picked up a paper, nodding to him with a smile and went on down the street. Newspaper tucked under his arm, for later reading when things got slow, he turned a corner to see a small crowd gathered around a singular person who had stationed himself beneath a street lamp, giving him his own spotlight, a trumpet crooned over the noise they were making and quickly went into a staccato and transformed a lively rendition of the Bugle Call Rag people had been hearing in the legal joints. A few of them clapped along and some of the younger kids danced a bit, as the kid played what he could of the song that really required a full band to play right, flubbing parts as he went along and adding licks where there should have been a change in who carried the melody. He finished a moment later, bowing to his audience with his hat proffered, some people putting in a few coins as it passed by them.

_Oh yes, Levi would like this kid; he'd been looking for someone to play as an entertainer anyway._ Hanji approached as a few of the other characters were leaving, the kid drumming the valves to his trumpet as he put it to his lips once more to play some upbeat sounding song that he'd never heard before; It had a good tune though and was catchy enough a fast enough beat to dance to while being slow enough that it wouldn't get your blood pumping if you didn't want to. He finished once again, proffering his cap to the remaining audience as he accepted their generous donations to line his pockets, Hanji stepped forward placing two dollars in the hat and relishing the look the kid gave him when he saw the money.

"Thank you!" What a pretty voice. Pretty everything too. Stunning teal eyes; very intense eyes. Couldn't have been older than nineteen. _Yes Levi would like this a lot._ "If you want something special played let me know!"

"No, I'm good on that. But I do have an offer for you." Immediately the kid stood up straight; the light in his eyes a bit dulled. "No, no, nothing illegal of that nature, I don't need you to bump someone off. Care for a private word? I know a great place where we can chat freely." Hanji was _so_ taking him back to the shop. Petra would love him.

"...Sure." The kid was hesitant to agree, but that was something Hanji understood. You didn't get to live on the streets long without gaining some level of caution when dealing with strangers. "I'm Eren by the way. Eren Jaeger."

"Jaeger? That's German, isn't it?" _The kid's from Germany? Well shit, that explains a bit of the hesitation._ "Hanji," came the response. "But everyone calls me Zoe, so you can too." Eren collected his things as he listened and put his trumpet back in its case before following back up the road. "How would you like to perform in a little club I work at?"

"A club?"

"Yeah, I know the owner and he's been looking for some good consistent entertainment for his clientele."

"And you want me to do that? Why not a professional band?"

"For reasons I can't publicly disclose." Hanji replied with a bright smile, a light flashed in Erens' eyes to show that he understood what the other meant.

"I see. Do I get to meet the owner?"

"Of course! You'll have to play for him to get his approval, but I'm sure he'll take you on." Hanji wrapped an arm around Eren's shoulders as they continued towards their destination. It was dark by the time the pair got back to the shop, its windows lit up with the name "Le Salon de Coiffure Classique", what ever that means, in stark relief against it. Petra was still at the counter with her books, though it seems like she'd managed to finish quite a number of things in the time since Hanji left. In a swift motion Hanji opened the door for Eren, causing the girl to look up with a start.

"Zoe! You're back!" Her eyes paused at Eren's rather disheveled appearance. "And who's this?"

"His name's Eren! I thought he'd be good for entertainment, he can play a trumpet like no one's business!"

"Should I get Levi then?"

"No, I will, you fix up Eren; get him presentable." Petra nodded and hopped down from her stool and came around the front of the desk as Hanji winked at the pair of them and left into the back.

"So, Eren," She started, taking off his hat first and dusting it off some. "I'm going to tell you now, Levi isn't the easiest person to get along with. He's got a short vocabulary and an even shorter temper." She straightened the collar on his shirt while she spoke. "He doesn't really talk about his past, but we're all fairly sure that it was something crime related..." She placed his hat back on Eren's head just as the door into the back opened and out strode Hanji followed by the shortest man Eren had ever seen in his short life.

He tried not to act surprised as he was scrutinized head to toe before he spoke. "You play, then." His voice had a strange accent to it, southern maybe? Eren simply nodded, putting his case on top of the desk beside Petra's things, trying to ignore the annoyed "tch" that came from behind him as he opened the case and pulled out his instrument. "Play something then."

"Got any requests?" Eren drummed his fingers against the valves as he wet his lips.

"Oh!" Petra spoke up. "I heard of a song recently, do you know Tin Roof Blues?" Eren nodded and put the trumpet to his lips and started playing.

Really it should be played with about four or five people, but it can be done as a solo, as Eren was demonstrating. A few licks here, an improved octave jump at the climax of the song, and a slur to the bottom register at the end, he couldn't tell how Levi felt about it as he pulled the instrument away from his mouth. Petra, however, was clapping her hands right alongside Hanji. "Well, Levi? I told you the kid could play!"

Levi was silent a moment before speaking up. "I have business to get back to."

"Aw, so you're just letting him go...?"

"Petra, make sure he's clean for tomorrow evening." Levi paused at the open door, glancing back with a look that would scare even a bimbo. "I refuse to have that much dirt in my establishment again." Petra giggled and nodded in agreement as he left, watching Hanji follow him down.

"Congratulations, you've been accepted as the entertainment here!" She smiled to him and took one of his hands in hers. Eren stood there a moment, looking at the door his new boss disappeared behind, wondering what exactly just happened.

Petra smiled at Levi's back as the door closed shut and turned back to Eren and took it upon herself to inform him about things and the way they were run, essentially. Since apparently he was getting taken into the fold he should know how things work. It was much of what Eren had expected; Levi ruled with an iron fist, and his word is law. Hanji was second in command in the hierarchy of this club, and Petra was here as store-watcher and patron-screener while the speakeasy was open. Sometimes strange people would come down, but you learned to not ask too many questions or look for too long.

Eren had more than enough experience doing that, he told her. "Being German, and all." She got quiet for a moment with a look on her face that said she didn't quite know how to respond to that. "It's fine, don't worry about it." Eren continued. "I should be leaving, Mikasa will wonder where I am."

"Mikasa?"

"My sister." That didn't explain much, person with a Japanese sounding name being part of a family with a kid that has a German name? "The actual family aspect is a bit weird, but we might as well be siblings." Eren shrugged, trying to help her understand even as he backed out of the store. He waved goodbye once more, the door swinging shut behind him. The little bell attached to it dinged against the door frame to hang in the air for a moment before dying down.

"What a shame he left so soon." Petra sighed, going back around the counter to her books. "He seemed like a nice kid."

"There weren't a lot of police around this evening." Hanji noted.

Levi took a seat on the other side of the bar, allowing Hanji to take over for him for a while. "And is that supposed to mean something to me?" He drawled.

"Did he have any plans of coming over tonight?"

"No, he would have mentioned it during his last hair cut." The bastard comes in on a weekly basis to get his hair properly coiffered. On any other person such excessive care would be seen as vain. "They probably left because they knew you would be around and were avoiding your path of destruction."

"But wouldn't that just cause the police more work?" Hanji grinned and leaned on the counter towards him.

"Leaving it to some other unlucky fucks who show up unknowing of the disaster zone they just missed." Levi nodded to the wall behind Hanji, bare for the most part aside from the glasses used to hold the alcohol. That was one of the first things you never do, even in a speakeasy: put the alcohol in plain sight.

"You wanna drink on the job?"

"No, I wanted a cup of tea. I'm smarter than that." He sighed and looked around his establishment again, remembering the kid from before and wondering if he was still hanging around. It would be good to get him down here so they could get him acquainted with where he's going to be playing.

_Assuming he actually shows up._ Levi shut his eyes and let out an internal sigh as Hanji passed him his cup of tea.

"Something on your mind, Levi?"

"Don't even try to play shrink with me, Hanji." He took a drink of his tea, staring at the wall in silence as Hanji made one of the bums in the club room a Mint Julep. Apparently a book had come out in the last few months and it had taken off, which of course meant everyone and their dog had to come to a speakeasy to try to get it unless they wanted to risk preparing it in their own home.

He hadn't read it himself, but Petra had. And according to her it was about the disillusionment of the Jazz Age or whatever. Something to do with Eggs. It sounded like a very strange book.

A few tables down some of the guys had started playing cards, another man seemingly off in his own world and staring at one of the lamps on the wall. Overall it was a quiet night, which was much in need after the previous nights' rush of people. Someone had started talking about his bar and a few more people than normal decided to show up.

That reminded him; "Hanji, how are we doing so far?" Levi didn't need to specify what he meant. He was understood.

"Doing pretty good, I'll have to open up a new crate if things keep going as they are by the end of the week."

"Try to last that for another week." Levi didn't know when Erd and Gunter would be available again for another run, they had their own lives after all. Erd with his wife and Gunter with his own family.

"Can do, boss." Hanji smiled, grabbing the glass from the man earlier and placing it aside to clean. Levi reached over to grab the money he left with a frown; He didn't pay enough.

"Bums rush for him?" Hanji whispered, watching the guy's back as he left. Levi shook his head once, he was going to tell Petra to watch out for him in the future, so as to not allow him back inside. If you didn't have the money to afford it you shouldn't be drinking in the first place. Not in this world, at least. This world needed money to grease the wheels it ran on, and if you didn't have that money the world was a very cruel place.


End file.
